The most poignant part of the article, for me:

How is it that we are so eager to watch other people browning beef cubes on screen but so much less eager to brown them ourselves? For the rise of Julia Child as a figure of cultural consequence — along with Alice Waters and Mario Batali and Martha Stewart and Emeril Lagasse and whoever is crowned the next Food Network star — has, paradoxically, coincided with the rise of fast food, home-meal replacements and the decline and fall of everyday home cooking.

That decline has several causes: women working outside the home; food companies persuading Americans to let them do the cooking; and advances in technology that made it easier for them to do so. Cooking is no longer obligatory, and for many people, women especially, that has been a blessing. But perhaps a mixed blessing, to judge by the culture’s continuing, if not deepening, fascination with the subject. It has been easier for us to give up cooking than it has been to give up talking about it — and watching it.

Today the average American spends a mere 27 minutes a day on food preparation (another four minutes cleaning up); that’s less than half the time that we spent cooking and cleaning up when Julia arrived on our television screens. It’s also less than half the time it takes to watch a single episode of “Top Chef” or “Chopped” or “The Next Food Network Star.” What this suggests is that a great many Americans are spending considerably more time watching images of cooking on television than they are cooking themselves — an increasingly archaic activity they will tell you they no longer have the time for.

The Effects of Just ONE Healthy Meal on the Body

This is a follow-up to a test done by ABC News a few weeks ago (read Just One Meal Part 1). After testing the effects of a high-fat/high-calorie meal on the body, they were challenged to test the effects of a healthier meal. The findings?

De Nies and Garcia opted for healthier meals from the very same restaurants they used in the last experiment. [But] this time they began their meals with soybeans, before moving on to salmon, grilled veggies and rice. Lunch ended with apple pie the pair shared.

De Nies’ results proved so extraordinary that they surprised even the doctors. Not only was De Nies’ blood clear of fat, but her arteries were actually more expanded and healthier after she’d eaten the salmon than they were before.

“We’ve seen that with people eating fish,” said Dr. Robert Vogel of the University of Maryland. “This was a much healthier meal for you, and it actually made your arteries healthier.”

Her arteries were so much healthier that doctors said one meal had the same effect on de Nies’ arteries as if she had just gone for a run. The final lab results showed that De Nies’ arteries had a 25 percent improvement.

I still don’t recommend skipping workouts or eating at fast food chains regularly, even if you’re getting healthier options, but these results are incredible!

via Nutrition Unplugged:

Does Donald Trump now think he’s a nutrition expert?  Looks like The Donald’s next business venture is all about selling nutritional supplements and weight loss products.  And he’s doing it through multilevel marketing (MLM), otherwise known as a pyramid scheme.

Oh my.  Why doesn’t he just stick to real estate.

The power of Trump’s name will likely make this nutritional Ponzi scheme  a success — meaning that millions of people will be spending a lot of money on products  they don’t need.  They’ll likely trust his nutrition advice, and the advice of the “trained” distributors, even if much of the information is not scientifically solid.

I wish The Donald would have done more of his homework on this.  He’s joining forces with a multilevel marketing company called Ideal Health that’s been around for 10+ years (and has had its share of FTC complaints).  The “custom-made” nutritional supplements rely on what’s called a PrivaTest, which is an at-home urine test that claims to tell you what supplements your body needs every day.  Hog wash.

This misleading tactic for selling a customized nutritional supplement regimen was previously exposed by Quackwatch in 2004.   Check out Quackwatch’s review of Ideal Health’s PrivaTest and Custom Essentials supplements.

On the Trump Network site it says  “metabolic testing and customized supplements are no longer luxuries for the wealthy.”  Oh, great.  Now hard-working families can waste their money too.   

Go to your doctor for a physical exam. Schedule a consultation with a registered dietitian.  That’s the best way to tell if your diet is inadequate in certain nutrients.  Don’t take the advice of Donald  Trump or a Trump salesperson who profits on the purported profile of your pee.

And if your diet does fall short in nutrients, you certainly don’t need to buy these so-called customized formulas (Donald Trump Vitamins) that can be purchased for a lot less in any supermarket or drug store.  If you want to lose weight, stick to real food and not the disgusting sounding shakes, bars and snacks that are part of the Silhouette Solution Program.  This fake-food fad diet will cost you $1,325.00 to get started.  It’s not only expensive, but an approach I certainly can’t support.  You eat only one “light” meal a day and then munch on five of these packaged snacks throughout the day — and supposedly “fat will melt off your body.”  Instead of an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains — you eat BBQ Puffs, Vanilla Creme Shakes and Chocolate Delight Bars.

This new venture may make business sense for Donald Trump, but it certainly doesn’t make any nutritional sense.

Ugh, this whole thing is cringe-worthy.

As it turns out, Bittman himself has a tiny and admittedly crappy kitchen. For all you city-dwellers who go out to eat because you think your kitchen is inadequate, read this Q&A:

Q: Okay Mark. What’s a popular food writer like you doing in a kitchen like that?

A: I got a bunch of e-mails that say, “Can you believe all this stuff about your crummy kitchen?” But the whole idea is that you don’t need a fancy kitchen. You don’t need fancy equipment, and you don’t need fancy recipes. When I show people my kitchen, they believe it. But I hate my kitchen also. I bump my shins on the dishwasher. There is not enough room to put stuff. It’s a terrible stove. It’s a terrible dishwasher. I don’t have room for the pots I’d like to have. I’ve cooked in much worse, though. I’m used to it. Someday I’ll grow up and get a real kitchen.

Q: So why do so many people think a nice kitchen will solve their cooking woes?

A: Maybe it’s like what you said. You use your crummy kitchen as an excuse not to cook. Maybe it’s like saying, “I can’t exercise in the winter because I don’t have an elliptical trainer.” I once cooked for six months in what amounted to a basement with a hot plate, microwave and a refrigerator and sink. Not only did I cook for six months, but I wrote the column for six months. It was funny. People like to cook when they’re camping and in other places where the situation is less than adequate. For some reason they think they have to have a great kitchen to cook at home, but it’s not true.

Q: So what are your must-haves in a kitchen, and what can you live without?

A:One of the things I hate about my stove is you can’t put four pots on it at the same time, so you cook with two pots and use the oven more. A functioning oven, the best possible stove… I think a big refrigerator is not that helpful. Stuff that’s in the refrigerator shouldn’t be in there all that long anyway. You need a couple of sauce pans, a couple saute pans, you need some knives, and then you need to pick up what you need on an as-needed basis. If you’re going to roast a turkey you need something big to put it in. When you need it you’ll know you’ll need it. Some things you’re going to find yourselves repeatedly wishing you had. Those are the things you need.

Q: Do you think people buy too much cooking equipment, or too many gadgets?

A: I think buying pots and pans in sets is prevalent. I do think people overbuy. They become enchanted with gadgets that aren’t that essential. Bread machines were around for a while. That was quite hilarious. I don’t have a toaster because I don’t have room for it. If I want toasted bread, I toast it in the broiler. It’s not horrible, and it’s the way millions did it before the electric toaster was invented. It’s a trade-off between counter and cabinet space, money and need. In Manhattan I don’t have a food processor. I’d love to have one, but I don’t have room for it. Once a week, I think, “Damn, I wish I had a food processor.” I’m not going to find the space for it. I’ve chucked all my cookbooks because there isn’t room for them.

Q: So do you find a bad kitchen as frustrating as the rest of us do?

A: I think part of me likes the inadequacy of it. There’s some pride involved. But people come in and can’t talk to you when you’re in the kitchen. There’s no room for two people to cook. It’s not really a galley kitchen. It’s about 7 feet wide and 8 feet long. It has that beautiful window in it, which makes things much nicer. The sad thing is the lack of storage and lack of counter space. I could live with everything else, but that stuff is what drives me bats. It’s definitely not ideal, but great things can be done.

Some quotes from the article:

• “The average weight change per diet today is not to lose weight, or even break even, but to gain seven pounds.”
• “…The diet industry, like most others, is dependent on repeat customers, on bringing back your business.”

Find out the damage that ONE high-fat, high-calorie meal can do to your body. Says the doctor in the story, “It’s the poisoning of America.”

Many thanks to Stephanie for finding the link!

By Mark Bittman (will this man STOP being amazing for 5 seconds?)

Mark assumes you’ve stocked your pantry with easy basics like spices, good cooking oils and vinegars, long-keeping carbs like pasta, rice and udon noodles, as well as soy sauce, garlic, lemon, butter and Parmesan cheese. With these staples, you can just pick up a few fresh ingredients every now and then, and “cook for days at a time,” Mark says.

Here’s a 10-ingredient shopping list that will give you five days of meals.

1. Chicken breasts (4 boneless)
2. Bacon (1/2 pound) - I’d switch to turkey bacon.
3. Shrimp (1 pound)
4. Spinach (1 pound)
5. Tomatoes (6)
6. Ginger
7. Onions
8. Asparagus (2 pounds)
9. Button mushrooms (1 pound)
10. Loaf of good country bread - Make sure it’s whole wheat!

Sound impossible? The ingredients can be easily combined, using oils, herbs and spices, to create the following five meals:

1. Stir-Fried Chicken With Asparagus
2. B.S.T. (Bacon, Spinach, Tomato) Sandwiches
3. Grilled Chicken and Shrimp Kebabs With Vegetables
4. Shrimp With Asparagus and Udon Noodles
5. Pasta With Bacon, Spinach and Breadcrumbs

Click the link to get the recipes!

Dr. Kessler isn’t convinced that food makers fully understand the neuroscience of the forces they have unleashed, but food companies certainly understand human behavior, taste preferences and desire. In fact, he offers descriptions of how restaurants and food makers manipulate ingredients to reach the aptly named “bliss point.” Foods that contain too little or too much sugar, fat or salt are either bland or overwhelming. But food scientists work hard to reach the precise point at which we derive the greatest pleasure from fat, sugar and salt.

The lesson here: Stay away from foods created by “food scientists” and eat foods created by mother nature (aka, WHOLE foods)! Yes, I know how granola that sounded, but whatever.

Don’t take that to mean you shouldn’t get any pleasure out of eating (you absolutely should). I just don’t like the idea of being maniuplated; of eating food that’s literally designed to be addicting.

• Looking for comfort. The trend of comfort foods has gotten a lot of play lately.  These soothing foods (macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs, mashed potatoes) are also typically inexpensive to purchase and prepare.  So expect to see these items on more menus and a spike in sales of pasta, beans and chicken.  Breakfast is often considered to be the most comforting meal, so restaurants will respond by making it available throughout the day.
• Organic sales slow. People’s priorities have changed because of economic hardships, so green living may no longer be top of mind for shoppers. Organic foods are being squeezed out of many budgets, although this deep freeze will likely thaw as the economy improves.
• Keeping it local. A National Restaurant Association survey of chefs identified locally grown produce as the top food trend.  Expect to see an increase in local farm names on menus, as restaurants attempt to convey the fresh, inherently good nature of their food.
• Getting it from the garden. A convergence of factors including the economy, food safety, the local food movement and patriotism is driving the explosive growth in home vegetable gardens. Last year, vegetable seeds outsold flowers for the first time in recent memory and they are predicted to do the same again this year.
• I’m the chef. More people will be cooking and eating at home to save money.  While some will stick to convenience foods, others will be motivated to increase their culinary expertise by visiting recipe web sites, watching TV cooking shows and taking cooking classes.   It’s predicted that this will be the year of the home cook.
• The ethnic experience. Even though consumers are expected to engage in less international travel, they’ll still have a taste for the exotic.  They will be enhancing their comfort foods with international elements such as bold spices and ethnic side dishes.  Mintel predicts that the hot flavors will be cactus, chimichurri, peri-peri, masala and lavender.
• Green = savings. Consumers are expected to cut back on their purchase of green products overall due to the extra expense involved, but they will still try to become more eco-conscious in the kitchen — largely motivated by the cost savings that “green” practices can generate, such as using energy-efficient appliances.

Reader Martha sent me this article from the Washington Post about why she avoids HFCS:

Making HFCS requires sundry chemicals, including caustic soda (also known as sodium hydroxide or lye) which is used to help separate corn starch from corn kernel. In concert with hydrochloric acid, the caustic soda also helps to maintain the HFCS’s pH balance.

Two studies released this week suggest that caustic soda, when produced the old-fashioned mercury way, becomes contaminated with mercury, which then contaminates the HFCS and ultimately, the food. Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that is damaging to neurological development, particularly for developing fetuses and children. (See EPA backgrounder.)

In the first study, published in the journal Environmental Health on Jan 26, Renee Dufault, a former FDA scientist, found detectable mercury in nine out of 20 HFCS samples from three manufacturers. Her findings led to this conclusion: “with 45 percent of the HFCS samples containing mercury in this small study, it would be prudent and perhaps essential for public health that additional research be conducted by the FDA or some other public health agency to determine if products containing HFCS also contain mercury.”

Just another reason HFCS is not the same as other natural sweeteners with similar chemical compositions. I’ll pass on the “sundry chemicals” and potential mercury contamination. Thanks, Martha!